Description: National Olympic Stadium

In November 2012 the design by Zaha Hadid was announced winner of the competition. Decision was welcomed with a mix of admiration and disgust as many critics emphasized that such a design would be too imposing for Tokyo's landscape, especially the direct vicinity. Also, cost estimation skyrocketed from 130 billion yen to some 300 billion.

In an attempt to reduce price tag and ease the criticism Japan Sport Council ordered downscaling the project. Total floor area was reduced by some 10%, height by 5 meters, while cost went down to 162.5 billion in May 2014.

Demolition of the old building was to begin in spring 2014, but instead was delayed to early 2015. It was planned to last several months with concrete removed bit by bit not to pollute the surroundings with dust generated by faster implosions.